Sunshine Matters

VISIT FLORIDA was invited to speak on our crisis management response to the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill at last week’s Destination Marketing Association International Annual Convention. The DMAI show, now in its 97th year, drew more than 1,000 attendees from 10 countries representing over 700 DMO professionals, educators, students, and industry partners from nearly 275 destinations. Continue reading »

VISIT FLORIDA’s leadership in social media marketing was recognized this week as Gammet Interactive named us number one in their quarterly “How Social is Your State DMO?” ranking. The report benchmarks the web and social media presence of state destination marketing organizations. It also marks the first time in almost two years that the report has a new number one, with Florida edging out former winners Michigan and Pennsylvania. Continue reading »

Every year laws are passed at the state level that affect tourism funding and operations.  It is important that those of us in the tourism industry get involved in the legislative process to ensure lawmakers understand how funding affects local tourism.  It is not only necessary to understand the legislative process, but also desirable to establish a personal relationship with your legislator. Continue reading »

Each year, VISIT FLORIDA conducts a Return on Investment Influencer Study to measure the collective impact of our marketing efforts on visitors’ decisions to come to the Sunshine State.  Results from the 2010 study, conducted in November and released in June, show a nearly ten percent increase over the previous year in the number of Florida visitors who were significantly influenced in their decision to visit the state by one or more VISIT FLORIDA marketing initiatives. Continue reading »

The 44th Annual Florida Governor’s Conference on Tourism – the premier educational conference for the Florida tourism industry – will be held September 25-27, 2011 at the Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa in Hollywood.  VISIT FLORIDA, the conference designer and coordinator, has organized this year’s event to provide relevant topics and speakers for professionals representing all levels of the Florida tourism industry. Continue reading »